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A pilot project has received the go-ahead from city council to hit the road.

Belleville Transit was approached by Sign Solutions of Quinte to run a one-year bus wrap advertising trial.

Matt Coffey, manager and planner at Belleville Transit, said wrap advertising will be installed on two city buses in order to advertise both Sign Solutions of Quinte and the City of Belleville to generate interest in the use of bus wraps as a form of “viable” advertising.

Coffey told council the city currently has one contract with a local radio station to advertise using the full-wrap bus.

“The contract with Mix 97 is in its fourth year and brings $12,000 a year in revenue to the city,” Coffey told council.

“Transit bus wraps are an effective form of advertising.”

As part of the pilot project, the advertising firm will install the vehicle wrap on the two buses — one side of each vehicle will feature the City of Belleville (i.e.: a Build Belleville banner), while the opposite side will display Sign Solutions of Quinte.

“As well, the city and Sign Solutions will have their message displayed on the rear of each vehicle,” added Coffey.

“All work done by Sign Solutions for this project is done at no charge and in co-operation with Belleville Transit and the city.”

City council snippets

An announcement at the RFA Planning Consultants offices at 211 Dundas St. East in Belleville will take place today (Tuesday) at 11 a.m. regarding the Downtown Belleville South Redevelopment Plan. Mayor Neil Ellis; Ruth Ferguson, principal of RFA Planning Consultants and Steve Hyndman, senior associate, will be holding the press conference.

Mayor Ellis invited councilors and those in attendance in council chambers to take part in a moment of silence prior to Monday's meeting to commemorate National Day of Honour, which will be held Wednesday, May 9 to mark the end of Canada’s military mission in Afghanistan.

City council passed a resolution allowing the city of Belleville to apply for the Ontario Disaster Relief Assistance Program (ODRAP) in order receive recovery funds for more than 70 homeowners in Foxboro and Corbyville who were affected by flooding this month.

Following two “successful” community garden projects, the city's Green Task Force and Melanie Zeitz-Morrish, green program co-ordinator, were approached by agencies and residents to develop a third community garden within green space in the eastern end of the city. City council approved the creation of 22 new 4'x10' raised garden beds at Bayview Heights Park at 75 Bay Dr., south of Dundas Street East and east of MacDonald Avenue. Funding of $5,950 for the garden beds and $4,000 for the connection to city water has been allotted in the approved 2014 operating budget to cover start-up costs. A lottery draw will be held later this spring to receive applications.

A timeline for required renovation work within the Belleville Public Library's walls and moving schedule for what will be known as the Community Archives of Belleville and Hastings County will soon be defined, along with officials from Hastings County and the Historical Society, after city council green lighted the long-time coming project.

As a result of a review of a request from Halla Visteaon Climate Control by the city's Traffic Advisory Committee in March, council has approved a resolution to restrict parking on the north and south sides of University Avenue, east of the intersection with Jamieson Bone Road, in the city's industrial park. Halla Visteaon Climate Control then outlined its concerns with parked cars creating a hazard for the vehicles that use the road. Procter and Gamble, the only other business in the area, responded to the committee last month saying it, also, would like to see the traffic restriction be implemented.